Kathryn's Stage

Kiss Today Goodbye...

2011-07-13T11:46:00.001+01:00

OK I owe my blog a big apology for neglecting it for over a year. I don't know if I ever posted on here but I moved to America for a year and was trying to run about three blogs at once and it just got complicated and I sort of ignored all but my personal one. But now I'm back and hopefully will get updating this again soon! I have a couple of things up my sleeve that I'm working on putting together for you here.

Here I Am Again

2010-04-21T16:35:00.003+01:00

I thought I would let you know about the recording of Kristina från Duvemåla from Carnegie Hall.

If you remember I posted a video from the concert back in September when it happened and the CD finally came out last week, just in time for a performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Helen Sjöholm stars as Kristina, the role she originated back in 1995, alongside Russel Watson as Karl Oskar, Louise Pitre as Ulrika and Kevin Odekirk as Robert.

The music by Benny and Björn is simply enchanting with it's flowing melodies and two part harmonies similar to those ABBA ones we know so well. The whole 35 track soundtrack is slightly tedious to get through due to the depressing story (I don't want to put you off by telling you it - Wikipedia it if you must!) but track number 30, Helen's performance of 'You Have To Be There' makes listening to the whole thing worthwhile. Her voice is outstanding and her performance is simply sensational. I am told she received a three minute standing ovation at the Albert Hall last week which I'm sure was deserved if her performance on the 14th was as flawless as it is on this recording. She makes a beautiful song even more beautiful.

I bought this soundtrack only really knowing one song. It was a huge gamble even though I am a B&B fan. I was most definitely not disappointed and I'm thrilled that I actually made the decision to buy it. I don't know if I could handle seeing the show as it is possibly more sad than Les Miserables and Miss Saigon put together (I was in floods of tears at both) but I would love to be given the opportunity. I don't know if it's quite ready to be made in to a full English production - some of the translation from the original Swedish lyrics is a bit harsh and due to the amount of words sometimes crammed in to one line it makes understanding the singers quite difficult. I have no doubt that if you are a hardcore musical theatre fan then you will LOVE the music in Kristina.

Oompapa Oompapa...

2010-03-31T17:48:00.002+01:00

...that's how it goes! Well it does when Kerry sings it!! So Kerry Ellis took over as Nancy on Monday, so far haven't really spoken to anyone who has seen it but I found this AHHHHHHMAZING clip on Youtube of the end of As Long As He Needs Me. So for your enjoyment, presenting KERRY ELLIS!

I'm going to see her next Thursday so I will definitely be posting a review - I will try and be unbiased but you all know I worship the ground that Kerry walks on so sadly this will affect my judgement of her lol. I probably won't get it posted until the following Monday as I get home from London late Friday night and then have the Scottish National Cheerleading Championship on Saturday and Sunday which will be keeping me busy. So visit Monday and I'll have it up for you :)

As Long As...

2010-03-08T19:14:00.002Z

...You're Mine?? He Needs Me?? Two songs, one previously sang by Kerry Ellis and another one that she'll be singing in the very near future, 20 days in fact. So I thought I would draw your attention to a little update on her website :)

"I started rehearsals on Monday for Oliver and am having a ball. I met some of the gang boys who were great fun, I'm loving it already and I'm not even on the stage yet!! It can only get better!!!!!! O and watch out around London and on the tubes you may soon see a face you know ha ha x"

So I am going to see Kerry in Oliver in a month today (YAAAAAAY) and I'm super excited. Prepare to see a countdown in all my posts until then! I'm loaded with work at the moment (stupid journalism degree and stupid Meet Me in St Louis - my current show!!) so I'm struggling to find time to get good stuff to post but I'll keep trying!!

Not exactly a musical but...

2010-02-22T00:05:00.005Z

...I actually love this! I go in to hysterical laughter every time I watch this (or think about it) and it's time I shared it with those who maybe haven't seen it. This is from Gavin & Stacey SE03EP02 :) Starring James Corden and Sheridan Smith as Smithy and Rudi and their take on Estelle and Kanye West's American Boy :) Enjoy and don't fall off your seat due to laughing too much!!

Oh and I plan on recording my own version of this with a friend so will post it when we do :)

Giddy On Up...

2010-02-18T20:25:00.006Z

...and giddy on out! This is the new single from Legally Blonde star Laura Bell Bundy. She's gone back to her country roots and I just can't stop singing it! Unfortunately the single isn't available in the UK so I have to make do with Youtube. The song is really catchy and I love the video :) LBB looks fantastic (and she DM'd me on Twitter so I totally love her hehe).

There! Right There!

2010-02-09T09:58:00.003Z

Look it's my Legally Blonde video diary!! Videos recorded by me, pictures taken by me and the girls, music is "So Much Better" by the London cast. I did not record this and do not own this. No copyright infringement is intended by this video.

The Heat Is On In Saigon.

2010-02-07T20:50:00.005Z

Well it was when Kerry Ellis played Ellen! Miss Saigon is one of my favourite musicals ever and I saw it on tour years ago. I think I saw Kerry as Ellen but I am totally unsure as I lost my program and don't even remember the date lol. Anyway I have been giving my Kerry obsession a bit of a rest lately but since I just booked my Oliver! tickets (Thursday 8th of April, anyone else going then??) I feel I need to post some more Kerry love!! (Sheridan I still love you but the last four posts have been about you so I need to give my other obsession some attention!!)

Here is Kerry singing 'I Still Believe' from Miss Saigon. The girl playing Kim is Ima Castro. For those of you who don't know Miss Saigon (shame on you!), Kerry is the second singer.

Is it just me or does anyone else get goosebumps when Kerry sings "It's all over I'm here there is nothing to fear..." etc. But this whole musical gives me goosebumps so it probably is just me!! But I get them even more when I listen to Kerry singing this.

I heard tale somewhere that Cameron Mackintosh would be producing a film of this musical. If so, Kerry for Ellen!! Although she might be unavailable due to the upcoming We Will Rock You movie that is also in the pipeline in which I hope she will be playing Meat :)

So Much Better...

2010-02-01T14:43:00.007Z

Well hey there. I just got back from Legally Blonde for the second time and this time actually met Sheridan Smith :) She was super lovely and loved us because we gave her a teddy :) We all got a hug and a kiss each from her and she complimented our outfit efforts :P

The show was just as amazing as last time with the added humour of things going wrong!! The dog refused to bark on cue in 'Ohmigod You Guys' and Margot dropped the dressing gown and magazines right down to the stage when she put them behind the door in 'What You Want'. The charm on Elle's bracelet fell off in Paulette's salon after 'Ireland' and Elle's resume wasn't in her bag during 'Chip On My Shoulder' but she covered fantastically well and earned an extra cheer from us for it :) Serena then dropped her frappacino after 'Road trip road trip!' which was funny.

Down on Skid Row...

2010-01-19T22:56:00.007Z

First post of 2010! Hiya everyone, happy new year and all that jazz. May it be full of musicals! I know it will be for me! This year I've already seen We Will Rock You and I'm heading back to Legally Blonde in a week. After that I've got Oliver lined up (Kerry Ellis yayy), hopefully a little Wicked trip when the cast changes too (no Kerry Ellis but new cast and Rachel Tucker so yayy)! I'm going to drag my mum to Legally Blonde so that would be third time and we're thinking maybe Mamma Mia or Sister Act too :) I booked Hairspray tour tickets last week and also got an Avenue Q trip coming up later on in the year so keep an eye out for that!

Well recently I've been stalking Sheridan Smith a little and found this little gem of a recording! Now I didn't think anyone could top Kerry Ellis' growl but my oh my can Sheridan sing! Here she is singing 'Suddenly Seymour' in the final night of Little Shop of Horrors.

Ohmigod You Guys!

2009-12-17T13:05:00.013Z

Last May the tickets went on sale for the West End production of the musical version of Legally Blonde. The show hadn't quite made it on Broadway - closing after only a year and a half - and I wondered whether the show would do any better here. Needless to say, being a huge fan of the show, my friend and I got ourselves tickets to the first night of previews on the 5th of December 2009. I was concerned about the transformation the show would go through for the show to open in London. The only show I have seen both on Broadway and in London is Wicked and I feel the American

production is much better. The British accents drive me slowly to insanity and the slight cultural changes to the script are noticeable. I was terrified that this would happen to Legally Blonde, as changing the show in this way would

probably ruin it.

I was also rather nervous about the cast. Two of my favourite actresses starred in the Broadway production - Laura Bell Bundy and Annaleigh Ashford - and I was concerned the "faces" cast in London would not live up to their Broadway equivalents. However I was pleasantly surprised by the performances of Duncan James (Warner), Peter Davidson (Prof. Callaghan) and Jill Halfpenny (Paulette). Sheridan Smith blew me away with her spectacular portrayal of blonde, bimbo law student Elle Woods. From the minute she appeared through the lift she was exactly how I imagined Elle. She sang and danced her way through the show, hardly even breaking a sweat! Not only does she provide the lead vocals for the majority of songs, she sings backing vocals and dances superbly in the numbers where her Delta Nu "Greek Chorus" provide the main vocals. Being used to seeing her star as Janet in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, it was a refreshing change to see her step out of Janet's usual dress up of tracksuits and trainers and into pink dresses and stilettos! We especially thought she looked rather amazing in the Playboy Bunny costume Elle wears to a party.

Alex Gaumond (Emmett) wasn't quite as good as I'd expected but then I feel the shy, kind, considerate role of Emmett is quite often obscured by the bigger characters who like to steal the limelight more. Aoife Mullholland (Brooke) was sensational and the high energy skipping number 'Whipped Into Shape' in which she both skips and provides lead vocals was enjoyable and awe-inspiring. She appeared to be solid muscle! Caroline Keiff had a step up from her role as Nessarose in Wicked, taking on the role of Vivian Kensington - Warner's new girlfriend. She played the bitchy mean girl shockingly well and her vocals were up to the standard we Wicked fans have come to expect from her. Amy Lennox, Susan McFadden and Ibinabo Jack were simply outstanding as Elle's best friends, Margot, Serena and Pilar. I feel the show would not be the same without these three roles and along with Suzie McAdams (Enid) they rocked their small parts, almost upstaging the main cast!

The upbeat chorus numbers such as 'Bend and Snap', 'Omigod You Guys', 'What You Want' and 'Positive' were full of more energy than I could have ever imagined! I wanted to get up on stage and join in - I'm sure no one would notice as I know some of the dance routines anyway - but that would be taking it too far. Elle and Warner's duet 'Serious' is hilarious and 'There! Right There' - the song about whether someone is "gay or European?" - plays on stereotyping and on the reliability of Elle's Gaydar - clearly a good tool to possess if you want to be a lawyer! The song that stole the show for me however was 'Legally Blonde the Remix'. At this point in the show, Elle has decided she's going to stop trying to be someone else and embrace her pinkness and go "back to the trial". The whole chorus joins in with this energetic number which climaxes with Brooke firing Callaghan and Elle taking to the floor as a lawyer - "To represent me, you gotta be, legally blonde!"

I could probably talk forever about Legally Blonde but I don't want to ruin the show. All I can say is that 'Omigod You Guys' this show is entertaining, witty, full of great talent and will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole way through. It is better than the film. It may be slightly infantile in places but that is what makes this show the masterpiece that it is! A night out at Legally Blonde promises to be a night you will never forget! And Sheridan Smith better keep a hold of those law books or I'll be stealing them from her! Elle Woods is a role I was born to play!

Just Let Me Be...Legally Blonde.

2009-11-24T11:01:00.004Z

Anyone else excited about Legally Blonde opening in London?? I am very so here is the cast of Legally Blonde performing a medley from the show on Children In Need, BBC, 20th November 2009. Some people posted really mean comments on YouTube but please remember that they are still rehearsing for the show and that this was the first time performing in front of a live audience. They changed the words and took the songs out of context so they worked on this on top of rehearsing for opening night on the 5th of December. I personally think they did a fantastic job and I LOVE LOVE LOVE Susan McFadden as Serena!! :D

Can anybody find me....??

2009-11-09T16:34:00.004Z

Hey sorry I've been away for a reallllllllllllly long time. Internet issues plus uni work overload isn't fun.

Anywaaaaaay We Will Rock You opened in Edinburgh last week so I thought I'd post a vid from it :D I've posted a lot of Kerry Ellis on here (I can't help it, she's awesome) so I thought I'd post something different.

We Will Rock You

2009-10-04T22:43:00.007+01:00

Sorry that I haven't posted for a few days :( My internet hasn't been working but I'm hopefully all sorted now!

Anyway today my friend alerted me to the first post on Brian May's blog and I thought I'd share it with you all :) It tells us about an upcoming charity single for Breast Cancer Relief featuring Mazz Murray, Anna-Jane Casey, Gina Murray and...

"KERRY ELLIS ... yes THE Kerry Ellis. ... what more can I say?!!!"

Being an obsessed Kerry fan, I love Brian May's enthusiasm :D Usually you can find more information about Kerry Ellis on Brian's blog than on Kerry's website so keep checking it :) There's some good stuff on there!

I hope you're all awaiting more news on this single as anxiously as I am :) Will post when I get more information!

Plus...doesn't Kerry just look stunning??? :D I would say I hate her because she always looks stunning but I love her so I'd be lying :P

Photo from Brian May :)

ETA: I just noticed...Kerry is wearing the same earrings she wore at the Edinburgh Festival! I know because I have the picture of me and her at the Fringe on my door....

You Have To Be There

2009-09-29T14:51:00.004+01:00

So I know it's not a very well known musical but the English translation of Kristina från Duvemåla (known simply as Kristina) by Benny and Bjorn from ABBA was performed in concert version at Carnegie Hall in New York on the 23rd and 24th of September 2009.

There are some utterly fantastic reviews here but I am simply going to post a couple of youtube videos. I am in love with the song "Du måste finnas" or "You Have To Be There" in the English translation. I know listening to the same song more than once can be quite boring but I want to share these with you.

This first video is of Helen Sjöholm singing "You Have To Be There" in Carnegie Hall on the 24th of September. The video quality isn't amazing and sometimes the audio is hard to hear but you get the idea :D This performance received a standing ovation and I must say it deserves it.

My second video is of Kerry Ellis singing the same song in Hyde Park on the 13th of September 2009 at ABBA Thank You For The Music Tribute. I am a huge Kerry Ellis fan and I simply love her performance. I love it so much that it's my ring tone on my phone. And she looks stunning as always.

Lastly is Helen Sjöholm singing "Du måste finnas" with English subtitles. The melody is just as hypnotising but I find the lyrics better in the English translation. It's interesting to read the difference. I'd imagine if I understood Swedish it would all flow better since it would rhyme but just now it just feels like I'm reading a monologue. There's nothing wrong with it of course. If you ignore the direct translation and just listen to the words being sung in Swedish the song is beautiful and enchanting in it's original form.

I want to thank B&B for bringing this amazing musical to New York. Hopefully a Broadway production will arrive shortly and then maybe even a London one. Apparently a CD will be released of the Carnegie Hall concert which I await eagerly. I'm currently resisting the original Swedish soundtrack. From what I've heard on Youtube and read on the website it is a heartbreaking musical but a definite must see.

Seasons Of Love

2009-09-28T14:25:00.007+01:00

Well I just purchased the new Rent dvd. Rent: Filmed LIVE on Broadway. I bought it last Monday actually but due to a postman apparently being unable to get access to my building I had to get driven to the sorting office today by my parents who were visiting (no car here) just to pick it up.

I am definitely impressed! I thought I wouldn't like it so much since I'm a huge fan of the movie but I was wrong. It's wonderful being able to see it on the stage since it's something I wasn't able to see.

The cast are all fantastic, especially Eden Espinosa as Maureen. I've never been too fond of her Elphaba but she makes a wonderful Maureen. Tracie Thoms was a great Joanne and really worked well with Eden. It was nice to see her back playing Joanne as I thought she was brilliant in the 2005 movie.

I think Adam Kantor and Will Chase are amazing as Mark and Roger and although I read a few comments slating her on IMDB I thought Renee Goldsberry made a lovely Mimi although she wasn't quite as good as Rosario Dawson who played Mimi in the 2005 movie.

Michael McElroy (Collins), Justin Johnstone (Angel) and Rodney Hicks (Benny) also gave an astounding performance and the whole main cast was supported by a very strong chorus of performers.

Some highlights are definitely Take Me or Leave Me, Rent and Santa Fe. Seasons of Love is wonderful as is Over the Moon. I loved being able to hear the songs that weren't used in the movie.

I recommend buying this to everyone :) It's a must have for a musical theatre fan!

Any thoughts?

Overture and All That Jazz.

2009-09-28T00:25:00.004+01:00

I've just posted my first post on my class blog for university so I thought I might start up my own. Trying to give it a little musical theatre theme :) We'll see how that works out. I'll try and post reviews on shows I've seen and I'll post when I find good videos or recordings online.

How exciting is it that Kristin Chenoweth won an Emmy!? Don't you all just love Pushing Daisies (and Kristin of course)? I think it's fantastic. It's just so wierd and wonderful. I get so frustrated by the fact that Ned and Chuck can't touch. I love it when they play up the fact that KChen is only 4"11. I love Olive's obsession with Ned too. It's also such a colourful TV show. Everything is bright and cheery. Odd since it's about death. But then, it is actually a comedy about death. Funny how things happen.

It's also amazing whenever KChen gets to sing! Ohhh and how about when she duets with Ellen Greene! Actual legends there!

I hate that Pushing Daisies is finished now :( It makes me sad. I've not even seen all of Season 2 yet! Must get watching it soon.

But this post is about Kristin Chenoweth, not just Pushing Daisies :) Check out her recording of "Taylor the Latte Boy" :D It's wonderful. Desperately trying to embed a Youtube video here but it doesn't want to work. Also have a listen to "Girl in 14-G" :) Both are available to download on iTunes.

Her acceptance speech is just fantastic. It's also available on Youtube, I just wanted to give her a hug. She made me want to cry with her. Plus she looked gorgeous as always!

Why not follow Kristin on twitter?